Howdy

[Radium]

Hello all,
My name is Jakob. I am a radiochemist for an isotope manufacturing company. I stumbled upon this forum while researching bench scale fume scrubbers. Reading old threads on DIY acid scrubbers and fume hoods has been quite helpful. I had a few lingering questions, so I figured I could join the forum to pose a few questions to the members.

I am not a gold refiner or investor--but perusing the forum makes me think I could be. A large part of my job involves metal ion separations. I do invest in several uranium mining companies. I imagine there are many members here who also invest in uranium.

I'll pose my question here. If it doesn't get answered, I'll make a new post.

Does anyone have experience with using acid gas filters (like these from Sentry Air) for scrubbing acid vapors? What I have in mind is using these filters (coupled with an exhaust line and blower) to capture the fumes from boiling nitric acid and/or boiling HCl at the bench scale (10s to 100s of mLs). These acid gas filters are activated carbon impregnated with KOH. Would these acid gas filters be an acceptable alternative to a multi-stage wet scrubber? Or are they ill-suited for fume capture from boiling acid solutions? My primary concern is water vapor reacting with KOH to produce a sludge in the filter housing--and thereby preventing air flow--and thereby preventing complete acid capture--and thereby corroding the process equipment and enclosure.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Hello all,
My name is Jakob. I am a radiochemist for an isotope manufacturing company. I stumbled upon this forum while researching bench scale fume scrubbers. Reading old threads on DIY acid scrubbers and fume hoods has been quite helpful. I had a few lingering questions, so I figured I could join the forum to pose a few questions to the members.

I am not a gold refiner or investor--but perusing the forum makes me think I could be. A large part of my job involves metal ion separations. I do invest in several uranium mining companies. I imagine there are many members here who also invest in uranium.

I'll pose my question here. If it doesn't get answered, I'll make a new post.

Does anyone have experience with using acid gas filters (like these from Sentry Air) for scrubbing acid vapors? What I have in mind is using these filters (coupled with an exhaust line and blower) to capture the fumes from boiling nitric acid and/or boiling HCl at the bench scale (10s to 100s of mLs). These acid gas filters are activated carbon impregnated with KOH. Would these acid gas filters be an acceptable alternative to a multi-stage wet scrubber? Or are they ill-suited for fume capture from boiling acid solutions? My primary concern is water vapor reacting with KOH to produce a sludge in the filter housing--and thereby preventing air flow--and thereby preventing complete acid capture--and thereby corroding the process equipment and enclosure.

Welcome to us.

Interesting approach, but besides your concern I also think the longevity (or lack there of) and price will make it impractical.
Better to use a bottle train and vacuum suction for these small volumes.
Something like this:

 

[4metals]

My primary concern is water vapor reacting with KOH to produce a sludge in the filter housing--and thereby preventing air flow--and thereby preventing complete acid capture--and thereby corroding the process equipment and enclosure.

This sentence makes me think you are using an enclosed hood with filtration but no outside air exhaust. Is this true? If this is the case I would not recommend any scrubber or in line filter pad for this application. Sentry air systems are great for particulates which the fine particulate filters can remove like smoke and lead fumes or zinc fumes but acidic vapors, even when filtered through a caustic layer will have a finite benefit and eventually cut the flow down.